Monday, August 3, 2015

SEAFAIR: Famous Names from the Golden Ages of Powerboat Racing and Beyond weave Roostertails in Seattle

As another Seafair weekend's Roostertails subside, and
the log-booms upon Lake Washington are shortly removed - while this year's
winner does his obligatory Hat Dance! Along with Unlimited Hydroplane racing
having just celebrated a historic Golden Anniversary Gold Cup regatta on the
"Right Side" of Washington, thought I'd dip into the 'Wayback machine
before recapping this year's just completed events...

SEAFAIR LORE

As I've previously lamented years past,
whilst the ubiquitous Lycoming T-55 (helicopter engine) turbines are spooling
down upon the finger docks of Stan Sayres pits - after having fallen totally
out of favour with what once was acherished childhood tradition of pulling plywood planks behind our
bicycle's wheels - when the Hydro’s ruled the roost from the shores of Lake
Washington with those irresistible thunderin' Aircraft piston powered engine Hydros'.

With names such as Dean Chenoweth in the Miss
Budweiser, Chip Hanauer in the Squire Shop and finally Jim Kropfeld piloting arguably
my favourite boat of all time, the Uber NARLY' Rolls Royce Griffon Beer Wagon -
which totally electrified Mwah, were some of the Baddest Boats on Lake
Washington.

Yet I ultimately flamed out in the late
1990's, probably after Chip (Hanauer) left the unstoppable "Beer
Wagon," the Bud, aka Miss Budweiser. As really cannot say that Dave
Villwock ever turned my Prop'.

While my most cherished memory of Seafair -
which ironically I still haven't confirmed the year yet, since it was some four
decades ago! Was thee Donnybrook 'O Donnybrooks when the dreaded Pride of Pay 'n
Pak narrowly defeated my cherished Miss Budweiser!

As I can still vividly recall that Oh So
Beautiful red & white front engine, open cockpit with trailing headrest
Miss Budweiser hull with Mickey Remund at the controls screaming thru the aqua
blue waters of Lake Washington at speed trailing frothing white Roostertail's
in its wake! or was it the legendous' Dean Chenoweth driving instead?

Since I still cannot recall if it was the
1973 or 1975 race I revel over when the Pak beat the Bud by some scant 100-feet
(or yards) after going neck-to-neck for all five laps! Which I recall the next
day's Newspaper's headlines proclaiming something to that effect.

Since all I know
now is that I had to wash the family's automobile after Tomas Sr. had chosen
Pay 'n Pak in what is still probably my favourite Seafair race - which the
Unlimiteds' have been contesting ever since 1951!

As ironically, 'Wayback then I never
picked-up upon the fact that it was actually an -ex Pay 'n Pak hull that Bernie
Little had bought in order to beat his fiercest competition all those years
ago: CRIKEYS!

Since Bernie Little and Dave Heerensperger
were good personal friends off the water, but Y'all know the saying of when the
helmet goes on! Or in this case when their respective boats hit the water, the
gloves come off!

As Heerensperger sold his lap
record setting Pride of Pay 'n Pak hull to his arch nemesis Little in1972. And following that year's Seafair event
boat designer Ron Jones started work on the aluminum honeycomb "Winged
Wonder" Pak', and thus, we'd be treated to a Battle Royale the next three
year's extensively between two Pay 'n Pak hulls.

Alas, over one-half century ago during a time
when Unlimited Hydroplane racing ruled the roost as the city's main sporting
event pre Professional Sporting Franchises such as the Seattle Supersonics,
Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders or Storm existed, aunique craft (one of many) prowled the shores
of Lake Washington and beyond flying the flag for the Seattle Yacht Club -
ultimately putting the Pacific Northwest on the map, much to the disgust of the
"Motor City!"

Yet her name wasn’t the legendary Slo-mo-Shun
IV or Slo-mo-Shun V which put Seattle permanently in the spotlight with its
unprecedented Gold Cup success between 1950-54.

Although the Miss Thriftway brought the Gold
cup back to the "Jet City," which was penned by Ted Jones, creator of the revolutionary Slo-Mo-Shun's,
the Miss Thriftway and her successor, the Hawaii Kai III both owe part of their
lineage to Jones earlier creations.

But instead of the revered Sayres rosso
colours,it would be the hull
affectionately known as the "Pink Lady," ultimately known as the Miss
Hawaii Kai III which for many Seattleites became the Slo-Mo's successor.

After Seattle's Dom 'O Unlimiteds' Stan
Sayres Slo-mo's had given up the ghost - finally being upstaged by Detroit's
Gale V after their 1955 Gold Cup defeat. Along with Slo-Mo-Shun IV's pilot, the
'53 Gold Cup winner Joe Taggart suffering serious
injuries during the '56 Gold Cup weekend n Detroit where his boat literally
disintegrated after being stricken by a rogue wave from an illegally moving
patrol boat!

With Taggart's injuries ending his Hydroplane
driving career a la his team-mate Lou Fageol. Stan Sayres, having zero desire
to visit his broken hull's remains, now returned to Seattle, died in his sleep
three weeks later, presumably of a broken heart!

As the Hawaii Kai III carried on the Slo-Mo's
legacy with her Rolls Royce Merlin engines and crew transferring to the once
rival boat, beginning with the '56 President's Cup which Bill Muncey aboard
Miss Thriftway won - returning the storied chalice to Seattle's Yacht Club.

Yet with the demise of the Miss Thriftway
when Muncey collided with a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat! The Kai continued its
dominance of the watersfor the '58
season with an ultra popular Gold Cup victory at Seafair en route to that
year's National High Points Championship whilst ensuring Hydroplane glory for
the Emerald City with another year's Gold Cup defense on Lake Washington.

Interestingly, the eventual "Mr.
Unlimited," nee Bill Muncey began his career driving Seattle based hulls during
the era of Detroit v Seattle for Unlimited supremacy. Winning his first two
Unlimited races, the prestigious Gold Cup aboard Seattle owner Willard Rhodes
Miss Thriftway in 1956-57.

Muncey followed up his Gold Cup success with
a further two Cup victories aboard the renamed Miss Thriftway, now the Miss
Century 21, a promotional ploy for Seattle's 1962 World's Fair - winning
theCup in Reno, Nevada and Seattle
1961-62, netting half of his eventual eight Gold Cup victories in Seattle based
boats.

Alas, as I've mused above, I was most
electrified by the sport in the early 1970's, even though the NBA Seattle
Supersonics with Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens was at the controls as a
Player/Coach between 1969-72,before
later coaching the Sonics to their only National Basketball Association
championship in 1979.

Yet for Mwah, during those Halcyon early
1970's, in what I guess shouldhave been
another indication of my eventual 24/7 infatuation of Motorsports, I was solely
focused upon the Hydroplanes instead.

With this infatuation lasting effectively up
to the Bud's "Bubble Boat," introducing the now de riggour jet
fighter canopy and then the first turbine Beer Wagon - both piloted by the late
Jim Kropfeld before my interests in the B-I-G' BOATZ Flamed Out.

Hmm? Perhaps it was when that dreaded Heerensperger's
Pay 'N Pakturbine boat began kicking
tail again. Or was it that dastardly "Blue Blaster" winning instead?
Which makes me wonder where 'Ol Jimmy Lucero - the George Bignotti 'O Unlimiteds'
Crew Chiefs is?

As I find it only appropriate that Dave
Villwock took victory at Seafair in theBeer Wagon's final year in the sport - after their iconic owner Bernie
Little had passed away in 2003, albeit Terry Troxle should have won that day, although
he was penalized for jumping the start by a micro-second whilst jousting for
the lead at the gun whilst skimming the waves at 185mph vs. Villwock.

And although having largely given up upon
this annual passage of Summer in Seattle some two decades ago, I seem to think
that I did watch Seafair's only Kuhnaidiun winner (Jean
Theoret) win the '06 event for another Unlimiteds'
legend, Billy Schumacher aboard the Miss Beacon Plumbing.

As its somewhat symbiotic that I was first
momentarily drawn back in by the then unknown to Mwah Steven David, piloting
the "Jerky Boat" aka Oh Boy Oberto five years ago. As how could I not
route for a Northwest tradition who's "Pitchman" now is that Oh, So
Luvable' Seahawks Star Richard Sherman!

Not to mention this new blood putting a dent
in ‘Ol Davey V’s (Villwock) veritable chokehold upon the H1 Unlimiteds record
books, albeit it’ll forever be the APBA to Mwah instead!

Yet those Steve David Salad Dazes seem so
distant now, when his maiden Seattle victory in 2007 was a Fairytale story for
longtime owner Art Oberto who was celebrating his 80th birthday! As protagonists
Villwock and Theoret, the race's past
three year's winners were so consumed in outsmarting each other for lane choice
that they both got to the starting line late - which David totally capitalized
upon!

the six-times National High Points Champion (2005-06,
2008-10, 2012) and eventual four times Seattle winner retired at the endof 2013 and currently is the sport's
Chairman. While David's past cockpit has been bested by the rival Graham
Trucking team the past two years at Seafair and now aims for their own version
of a "Three Peat!" As I think it's almost time for the Albert Lee Cup
Final's race...

SEAFAIR WINNERS

2004) Dave Villwock; Miss Budweiser

2005) Jean Theoret; Lumar Window Film

2006) Jean Theoret; Beacon
Plumbing

2007) Steve David; Oh Boy Oberto

2008) Dave Villwock; Ellstrom Elam Plus

2009) Dave Villwock; Ellstrom Elam Plus

2010) Steve David; Oh Boy Oberto

2011) Steve David; Oh Boy Oberto

2012) Steve David; Oh Boy Oberto

2013) Jimmy Shane; Graham Trucking

2014) J. Michael Kelly; Graham Trucking

For
this year's Tri cities & Seattle's race recaps, see;HYDROS: Roar on the Shores
from both sides of the Evergreen State